Carra has change of heart: Apologizes to the court

Marsha Miller @mmillerARD

Wednesday

Oct 19, 2016 at 8:00 AM

Last month Epigmenio Carra Jr. appeared in Carter County District Court telling Special District Judge Carson Brooks he wanted a preliminary hearing in the case charging him with shooting with intent to kill and possession of a firearm after former conviction. The Long Beach, Calif., man got what he wanted — a preliminary hearing that was set to be conducted Tuesday. His belligerent behavior in the courtroom Sept. 15 also earned him a contempt of court citation and a three-month sentence he can’t begin serving until the shooting/firearm case results in a verdict or a plea.

Tuesday, Carra returned to the same courtroom in front of the same judge. This time, however, his demeanor reportedly had made a complete turn around. He offered Brooks his apologies for his previous conduct. The 33-year-old man’s 180 degree change of heart also extended to his earlier assertion he wanted the state to present evidence against him in a full blown preliminary hearing.

Instead, he told the judge he was waiving his rights to the proceedings in which Brooks would have considered whether or not to bind him over for trial. The judge accepted the waiver which automatically puts Carra on the road to trial. The next step? Formal arraignment set for 9 a.m. Nov. 2.

Carra, also known as Junior, was captured by Ardmore police July 22 just minutes after he fired shots at a pickup truck in the 800 block of A Street NW. At the time of his arrest Sgt. Larry Payne, Ardmore Police Department Patrol Division, said Carra was “… involved in what appears to be an ongoing issue with a (local) woman. He was walking down A Street NW when he recognized the vehicle and that the woman was inside. An argument started and he fired shots. One of those shots hit the windshield of the truck.”

Although a bullet from the .22 caliber chrome plated revolver Carra fired hit the windshield and endangered all five occupants, Payne said the shot ricocheted and didn’t penetrate the interior of the vehicle. All of the occupants of the truck escaped injury.

Following the shooting, Carra fled. However, he was captured just minutes, still armed with the revolver he had used.

Following his brief courtroom appearance Tuesday, he was returned to the Carter County Detention Center, where he is jailed pending the posting of a $200,000 bond.

If convicted Carra, who is reported to have an extensive criminal history in California, faces sentence of life in an Oklahoma prison.